The Government Pharmaceutical Organisation (GPO) and the companies which won the bidding for a contract to supply the government 8.5 million sets of the Covid-19 antigen test kit (ATK) will sign the contract this month, while the first batch of the imported ATKs is expected to be delivered by Sept 8.
The contract signing was delayed previously when the Rural Doctors Society (RDS) objected to the result of the bidding, in which the Chinese-made LEPU Sars-CoV-2 Antigen Rapid Test product manufactured by Beijing Lepu Medical Technology Co was selected.
The RDS has raised concern over the quality of the product, saying it isn't approved by the World Health Organisation (WHO), which prompted Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to order that only WHO-approved products should be procured.
However, after new information emerged later that the WHO has never approved any home-use ATK, the PM on Tuesday reversed his order, which signalled the procurement project could continue. GPO director Witoon Danwibul confirmed yesterday the procurement was still on track.
The product will be supplied at a cost of 70 baht per set by the World Medical Alliance (Thailand) Co, the importer of the test kit, together with Ostland Capital Co.
The procurement contract is expected to be signed next Monday, said Siriya Thepcharoen, a member of the board of World Medical Alliance (Thailand) Co.
The GPO intends to submit the ATK purchase contract to the company for inspection before it will be signed.
The contract needs to be inspected because a new requirement was added: a request by the GPO to inspect in the laboratory every lot of the imported product to ensure its quality, she said.
The first batch of between 800,000 and 850,000 sets of the LEPU ATK should arrive on Sept 7 or Sept 8 if the procurement contract is signed next Monday as planned, she said.
The company has booked 11 flights to bring the imported product to Thailand, she said.
